#people of colour

[mindblowingscience]

A global effort to make genetic studies more diverse has led to a discovery about Parkinson's disease, a common brain disorder that can impair a person's ability to move and speak. A team that included scientists from Lagos, London and the U.S. found a previously unknown gene variant that can nearly quadruple the risk of Parkinson's for people of African ancestry. The finding, published in August in The Lancet Neurology, suggests that Parkinson's may work differently in people of African, rather than European, descent. It could eventually help scientists develop a treatment specifically for people with this particular gene variant.

Continue Reading.

#African #POC #People of colour #parkinsons #Biology #Medicine #stem #neuroscience

[jessequinones]

Writing Trope: Magically changing your POC characters.

You might not realise this, but if there’s a POC character on screen then there’s a good chance the character won’t stay themselves for the entirety of the story. Don’t believe me? Here are a few examples.

Princess and the Frog: The main character turns into a frog

Soul: The main character turns into a soul

Coco: The main character nearly turns into a skeleton

Brother Bear: The main character turns into a bear

The Emperor's New Groove: The main character turns into a lama instead of being dead.

You get my point, yes these are all Disney/Pixar-related stories but the point still stands, it’s a very common trope.

You might be asking yourself, why is this a thing and honestly...I don’t have a good answer for you. It’s almost the same question as “why does every black superhero have lighting powers?” It’s a common trope that again, not many people understand where it came from or why it’s a thing.

I think I might have an idea but it’s only a theory though. I think this is one of those situations where white people try not to be racist but instead create a racist character anyway and for this example, I’m going to be looking at Pixar’s movie, Soul.

If you’re a person of colour and a writer you might’ve gotten the good old. “How do I write a black character?”

“I don’t write black characters because I don’t want to accidentally become racist.”

“I just find it easier to write stories about fictional animals instead of humans because I don’t want to be racist.”

I discovered that young writers are afraid to create people of colour because they think they're going to get “cancelled” or get called out for being racist and in order to avoid the uneasiness about writing a person of colour, they make the character transform into literally anything else. This way the writer gets the benefit of no longer writing a black character but instead a [blank] one, all the while still having a black person on the diversity checklist because said character started off as black.

In the movie Soul, the main character doesn’t even stay in their own body for ten minutes before getting swapped by a white woman and in a way...that was kind of blackface the more I think about it.

While yes, there was one black writer (Kemp Powers) to help write Soul, there were two other writers who were white. One of them had been with Pixar since Toy Story. So, it’s safe to assume in the pecking order for who was in charge of creating the story, it was most likely a white person with Kemp being there to help do touch-ups. (Pure speculation).

I’ve seen countless white people try to “avoid” being racist by creating characters which are extremely black-coded but for some reason aren’t considered black because said character doesn’t have a black skin tone and the thing is, if you’re trying to avoid writing a POC because you don’t feel comfortable writing them, then you need to ask yourself, why? Why are you uncomfortable adding a person of colour to your story and why do you think people of colour are these weird foreign concepts you’ll never understand?

We’re not asking you to write a POC story, no. We just want you to add us to your story because we exist.

If you’re going to add a person of colour in your story, maybe don’t change them midway through, because I think it might come across as you’re trying to avoid writing us, by changing us into something you’re more comfortable with and we don’t want to be changed, we like ourselves for who we are.

#writing #writeblr #book #books #bipoc #people of colour #how to #writing community #writing advice #writers #writing help #writing tips #writing tropes #disney #pixar #soul #coco

[emaswanned]

I know there's a bunch of fans who have fallen out of love with the TV adaptation of The Witcher because of it's deviation from the books/games, but I don't think I can explain how wonderful it is to see an Indian Hindu woman, a person of colour, playing a powerful, beautiful female main character that is literally loved by thousands across the globe.

I'm third-generation British Indian and grew up watching shows with main characters that never, ever looked like me. I cannot applaud the casting of Anya Chalotra as Yennefer any more than I already have.

#the witcher #yennefer of vengerberg #anya chalotra #yennefer #character: yennefer #television: the witcher #mine #poc #people of colour #indian representation #south asian representation #poc actors

[diversegaminglists]

Tales of Kenzera: ZAU is out now.

Inspired by Bantu mythology and folklore.

#tales of kenzera: ZAU #africa #bantu #people of colour

[cuties-in-codices]

a black angel

on a crest that makes part an armorial, a collection of coats of arms, included in an otherwise musical manuscript (bavaria, ca. 1565-1570). the symbol seems to belong to the walchen family. here is an informative, short introduction to the usage of black figures in european heraldric symbols since the middle ages.

image source: Munich, BSB, Mus.ms. A II(1, p. 8

#i wish i could provide more context to this #the article that i linked doesn't mention this particular kind of imagery (people of colour as angels) #16th century #people of colour #poc #heraldry #illuminated manuscript #armorial #racism #critical race theory

[reniadeb]

☺️@reniadeb☺️

#people of colour #person of colour #poc #meme #funny #memes #relatable #relatable memes #relatable meme #twitter #comedy

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Vancouver has a new library in Chinatown dedicated to books written by people of colour.

Located on Keefer Street near Gore Avenue, the Vancouver Black Library will also serve as a community hub for events like poetry and book readings, performances and exhibitions, says Maya Preshyon, founder and executive director.

"It's a library in the sense that it has books, but it's also a library in that it connects people to people as much as it connects people to information," she told Early Edition host Stephen Quinn.

She says the Chinatown location was chosen because of its proximity to Hogan's Alley, the historic Black neighbourhood that was demolished in the 1970s to make room for the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts.

"Its main focus is to bring people together from the Black community so they can feel welcome and have a space for them, and its other focus is to educate everybody who wants to learn about Black culture in British Columbia, Canada, Vancouver," the 21-year-old said.

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

#black excellence #POC #People of colour #Vancouver #cdnpoli #canada #canadian politics #canadian news #canadian #British Columbia #library #Libraries

[the-narnian-sea]

Annual reminder: Eurovision supports apartheid and genocide and y'all need to stop letting that slide.

#eurovision #like wtf #they be letting an apartheid state join the competition and yall actually watch it #free palestine #stop apartheid #stop genocide #its palestine. always has been always will be. #people of colour #arab lifes matter more than your music competition

[greenpanda-officialart]

Not me messing up quality on purpose to stop people from taking em if they do.

So a skin colour practice and I'm still clueless on how to colour noses -_-

Also heres some study practice if anyone needs it?

#Art #poc #People of colour #art #art study #art tip #art tutorial #skin tutorial #skin colour #skin tip #hints #practice #art practice #SKIN #ART

[kierancampire]

Apparently even featuring black girls is woke now? More than just this guy said it too. Do they know how far backwards they've gone that they now support segregation? Yet nothing's wrong with these people? Nothing about this girl even seems LGBT+ surface level, but nah, black girls in ads? That's woke nonsense! I only want cis white men in my life!

Oh P.S. can I just say I absolutely despise, and I mean truly despise the term snowflake, even in the instance I used it I still despise it. But if a cis white man wants segregation, I'ma call him what he despises to make him realise he is one

update, either he blocked me or deleted the comments XD

#personal #rant #ranting #vent #venting #virtue signaling #woke #lgbt+ #lgbt #lgbtq community #poc #people of color #people of colour #black

[little-desi-historian]

A miniature from the Spassky Gospels, Yaroslavl, made in the 1220s.

(Kievan-Rus. Modern day Kyiv, Ukraine).

Credit to @medievalfantasyqueen for finding this and the citation.

#history #european history #1220s #12th century #ukraine #Kyiv #kyivan-rus #Kievan-rus #medieval #medieval history #painting #paintings #medieval paintings #miniature #medieval art #medieval miniature #people of color #people of colour #people of colour have always existed everywhere

[hussyknee]

‘My experiences are not unique to me. Visa processes, as currently designed, are often opaque and illogical, with space for humiliation that often invoke anxiety, fear, and shame all at once’

Y'all have no idea of the dread, anxiety and dehumanisation that accompanies any visa process to a Western country in the Global South, no matter who you are or what your credentials. It's the best opportunity for the white supremacist global order to let you know that you are first and foremost a potential criminal, illegal alien, and leech on their countries.

#global South #racism #white supremacy #coloniality #colonialism #immigration #visa #people of colour #Western imperialism #human rights #knee of huss

[jessequinones]

Writing Trope pt2: Magically changing your POC character

Before I begin I want to thank you all for your support. I'm new to creating articles so if I say anything that doesn't make sense let me know and I'll try and do better next time.

If you wish to read pt 1 first here's the link: https://www.tumblr.com/jessequinones/734832484494245888/writing-trope-magically-changing-your-poc?source=share

Moving on, I want to take another look at this trope because it was pointed out to me that in all of the movies I recommended last time (Princess and the Frog, Soul, Brother Bear, The Emperors New Groove, Coco) the main character who's a person of colour that transforms was just that. Only the main character changes and not the rest of the cast so is this trope still considered racist?

Before I begin I want to state that this is a relativity new trope and it’s up for a lot of debate. I understand the frustration when a new trope gets discovered and it’s being labelled as racist but I always say to listen to why these people call this trope racist.

Back to the question at hand, it has less to do with the rest of the cast turning into something and more about the number of times this trope pops up in the first place.

For clarity's sake, I’m going to be talking about Disney's fully animated theatrical movies since those are the stories most people would’ve seen. Keep in mind these aren't the only examples of said trope. Disney has been around for one hundred years. They started to create animated movies with Snow White in 1937 and since then, there have only been two movies where the main character is black and takes the leading role. Princess and the Frog, and Soul. (Yes I include Pixar as a part of Disney). In both movies, the main character doesn’t stay as themselves.

I want to reiterate that I’m only talking about Disney theatrical releases. Theatrical releases are the big ones, the ones with the advertising, and the ones most people know about. Going through Disney’s catalogue of every single animated movie which includes straight to video would take a very long time.

Continuing on, 83 years of animated movies and both times where someone in the black community could see themselves for who they are, the main character doesn’t stay as themselves and that’s the problem with this trope.

One could argue there have been two movies featuring Native Americans, Pocahontas and Brother Bear, in which only Brother Bear is a movie about transformation and while that is true. Pocahontas is just a really bad…bad…bad movie. Talking about everything that movie does wrong would require another post all on its own. In fact, Brother Bear only exist because it was a response to Pocahontas as a way for Disney to say that they could write a better Native American story.

Moving on, remember when I said I felt like the reason why this trope exists is because white writers don’t know how to write a person of colour so they transform the main character to make it “easier”? Out of two movies (using Soul and Princess and the Frog as reference), there were six writers in total, only one of them had a black writer, and he wasn’t even the lead writer for said movie.

I’ve also gotten the argument that The Little Mermaid is a transformation story and while that's true. It’s about a mermaid transforming into a human, not a human being transforming into something else against their will. I’ve also seen the argument that the Beast in Beauty and the Beast is a transformation story and all I have to say is no…it’s not. The story is about Belle, yes the Beast does get transformed into a beast at the start of the movie against his will, but it’s not his story. It’s Belle’s.

This is why it doesn’t matter if the rest of the supporting cast doesn’t transform, the main character. The one the audience is supposed to connect with doesn’t stay as themselves if they’re a person of colour.

Side characters improve a story, but the story isn’t about them, it’s about the hero against an obstacle. (Most often times a villain). When comparing stories, talking about them and the impact they leave, unless it’s needed, no one cares about the side characters. Having gay LGBTQIA+ characters in your story is great, and the LGBTQIA+ community might enjoy them if they're done right., but the LGBTQIA+ community would still want a story where they’re the hero, not the supporting cast. In fact, going back to the black-and-white style of television. During the Wild West days, it was a trope that the white cowboy always had a funny Hispanic character as his sidekick and who got the girl in the end? The white cowboy. So yeah, communities who only see themselves as supporting roles, even if they enjoy those characters will often want a story where they're the hero for a change. This is why Zoro is such a good Hispanic cowboy movie because the main character is Hispanic and not a sidekick.

Getting back on track here, if every time you could see a story where the main character represents you and where you came from but the character never stays as themselves, it can kind of feel dehumanising. Which it is.

Don’t forget, that people of colour have been compared to animals and objects for their entire lives. While I don’t think any of these writers who wrote those transformation stories did it because of racism outright. It’s such a common thing that it should at least be considered before writing your transformation story.

I don’t say any of this as a way for you to stop enjoying these movies. I say this to other writers, if you’re gonna create a story and you have a person of colour who's in the leading role and you're a white writer, maybe…don’t force a transformation on them.

#writing #writeblr #book #books #bipoc #people of colour #how to #writing community #writing advice #writers #writing help #writing tips #writing tropes #disney #pixar #soul #coco

[everythingaddictxx]

I have so much sympathy for Kelli Giddish, and I hate that she has not left voluntarily and is being treated this way just because she dares to keep getting paid what she deserves.

If it is the same case for Jesse Lee Soffer, then I am also appalled at his treatment.

However, I am incredibly frustrated as this has been happening to other people on Dick Wolf shows for a long time now, particularly POC and WOC, and yet this is the first time the fans and the media are making a big deal about it.

Annie (Emily) from Chicago Fire didn’t return because her team and the show couldn’t agree on what she should be paid. And she’s just one example.

I have so much sympathy for the actors and the fans, but where was this support and outrage for the other people, particularly WOC and POC?

WOC and POC deserve to be given the same support as their white counterparts. Frankly, they deserve even more support.

#kelli giddish #jesse lee soffer #annie ilonzeh #dick wolf #woc #poc #people of colour #women of colour #law and order svu #chicago pd #chicago fire #amanda rollins #jay halstead #emily foster #law and order #one chicago

[neur0bug]

Picrews for POC - Part 16

DNI: pro-/ED (th/nspo, me/nspo), conservat/ve, Tr/mp supporter, All L/ves Matter, against BLM or supportive of the police, M/P (+ allies), M/K, tru/cum or transm/d, exclusion/st

N/FW blogs are okay to like and reblog, but please don't further interact with me or my followers!

────────────────────────────────

🌱 options for dark/darker skin

💋 options for facial features (eyes, lips, etc.)

🐝 options for natural hair

This symbol will be exchanged with 💐 when there are also darker/multiple shades of brown/darker hair available.

💗 options for short hair

🐣 options for facial hair

🌼 options for piercings

💫 options for tattoos

🤚🏾 right colour of the palm

🐰 options for Hijabs

🌫️ options for Vitiligo

👥 options for disabled people

🐹 options for fat bodies/plus sized people

👑 non-Hijab head/hair coverings (Tichel, etc.)

────────────────────────────────

(Credit: @naylissah on Twitter)

🌱, 💋, 💐, 💗, 🐣, 🌼, 🤚🏾, 🐰, 🌫️, 👥, 🐹, 👑

────────────────────────────────

(Credit: @/makowwka on Twitter)

🌱, 💋, 💐, 💗, 🐣, 🌼, 🐰, 🌫️, 🐹

────────────────────────────────

(Credit: @/dendromancy on Instagram)

🌱, 💋, 💐, 💗, 🐣, 🌼, 🐰, 🌫️, 👥, 🐹

────────────────────────────────

(Credit: @/baby_carrot_art on Instagram)

🌱, 💋, 🐝, 💗, 🐣, 🌼, 🤚🏾, 🐰, 🌫️, 🐹, 👑

────────────────────────────────

(Credit: @/lunevani on Instagram)

🌱, 💋, 💐, 💗, 🐣, 🌼 (only earrings)

#long post #no id #picrews for hijabis #picrews for poc #picrew #picrews #poc #people of colour #hijab #disability #lgbtq+

[hjellacott]

If only we didn't applaud cheap and easy performative activism

Speaking about representation and diversity on TV and film in my previous posts it got me thinking that the same can be applied for everything.

Do you realise that just because someone wears an LGBT flag shirt it doesn't mean they aren't homophobic, just because they hire women it doesn't mean they're not sexist, just because they "cancel" certain people it doesn't mean that they actually care, and just because they hire POC it doesn't mean they aren't racist?

No you don't. You applaud those gestures and if people don't do them, you cancel them. You're not actually doing those communities (women, LGB+, POC, etc) any favours. You're not helping them. All you're doing is supporting performative activism. Cheap, easy acts to "pretend" like one cares when in reality what they want is not to be cancelled and to keep profitting from those communities.

If we didn't support cancel culture, nobody would feel a need to pretend to support something just to avoid being cancelled. If we didn't applaud, cheer and be content with poor and fake representation and cheap, small acts to act like one's so liberal, people would stop doing that. They'd show their true colours, and whatever they said, good or bad, we'd know that at least is honest and true to their hearts, and we'd be able to truly not give money to those we disagree with, instead of giving it to people who simply pretend to agree with us for our money.

Personally, I want to demand more of people and companies, particularly big and powerful ones. To me, representation isn't to make a black Little Mermaid or to write BLM in social media. To me, representation is to make sure at least 50% of your firm writers don't have a white, privileged background, and is rich on diversity. Representation is not wearing a gay pride t-shirt, representation is showing up for the gay community, defending them every chance you get, protesting, doing what it takes to help them. Representation isn't merely saying "women won't wheesht", representation is going to women's rights protests, protecting women and speaking out for them.

You have to dig in deep and do the real, big, meaningful work, before you can be content with just wearing a simple t-shirt or a bracelet or posting a black square in your Instagram. Otherwise all you're doing is performative activism and lying to yourself and to everybody else... But also wrongly judging tons of celebrities as liberals who support women and minorities simply because of the stuff they post in social media.

Less cancel culture. Less performative activism. More being real and true.

#performative activism #cancel culture #feminism #women's rights #lgbt+ #gay pride #poc #people of colour #diversity #liberalism #black lives matter